Why being a redhead changed my perspective

I can’t recall the first time I heard that statement, probably because it happened so many times while I was in elementary school.

I never looked in the mirror before that moment and saw imperfections. It was during that time that my outward appearance was the driving force behind my insecurities.

The words and jokes about the color of my hair are something I still carry with me today, and the very reason why I hoped that my brother wouldn’t have red hair when he was born.

You may think that my hope was in vain because babies can be born with so many other health issues, but at 13 years old I thought that being born with red hair was more less a curse. I didn’t want my brother to suffer the mean words or be insecure about his appearance like his big brother, I wanted to save him from the bullying.

Little did I know, seeing the world through my red headed brother and sister helped me love my differences because I saw their beauty.

Even though there are still times that I look in the mirror and dislike my red hair or my fair skin (that comes with being a redhead), those insecurities aren’t as loud as they used to be.

To the young boy or girl that is made fun of for being different, we are all different. If you don’t like the color of your skin, the color of your hair, how your eyes are shaped, or the size of your feet; those things don’t define you. What’s the definition of beauty anyway? Why are we letting others opinion of us define our self-worth?

Genesis 1:27 (KJV)

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God created man in his own image, have you ever thought about that? God took the time to mold and shape you into the person you see today. How can you look in the mirror and not like what you see? I can tell you why, it’s because we look in the mirror and listen to what the world has to say about our appearance instead of listening to what God has to say!

Don’t discredit God’s work because of man’s opinion. Don’t hate your red hair because the world makes fun of it, or the paleness of your skin because the world despises it.

Start loving the person God made you to be, because you are beautiful, you are worth it, and you are God’s.